PS4's social functions grab Hideo Kojima's attention

The creator behind the Metal Gear franchise has shared his thoughts on Sony’s recently-unveiled home console, PlayStation 4.

Speaking with IGN, Hideo Kojima, who admitted he didn’t watch the machine’s reveal last week at the PlayStation Meeting, said he’s particularly intrigued by PS4’s social-oriented features.

“I can say that with every new generation of hardware the capabilities of the hardware increases. But up to this point it’s always been very much of a vertical evolution – of course, you expect things like visual fidelity, audio, frame rate. New features such as 3D capability, etc, etc. These things are a given. They come with the new hardware,” said Kojima.

“But what I’m really more interested in is other ways of expanding into the next generation – a more horizontal expansion, where you’re going to be doing things online, more of a social aspect. People will be able to interact with the game through various devices, through various media – such as tablets, smart phones, etc.”

Furthermore, the Kojima Productions boss said he’d like to implement some of these features into future Metal Gear titles.

“I think it’s this new type of interaction – this new ways of interacting with the game world – that’s more exciting to me. And I want to bring the Metal Gear franchise into that new wider world of interaction.”

Kojima-san is currently working on the next chapter in the Metal Gear franchise, titled Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.

I totally can't wait for Metal Gear Ground Zeroes. It's not for PS3/360 right? There's no way, atleast 360, can handle visual quality like that. Cell processor might be able to handle it, but since it was played on PC, I'm 99% sure it's not optimized for Cell.

I totally can't wait for Metal Gear Ground Zeroes. It's not for PS3/360 right? There's no way, atleast 360, can handle visual quality like that. Cell processor might be able to handle it, but since it was played on PC, I'm 99% sure it's not optimized for Cell.

“But what I’m really more interested in is other ways of expanding into the next generation – a more horizontal expansion, where you’re going to be doing things online, more of a social aspect. People will be able to interact with the game through various devices, through various media – such as tablets, smart phones, etc.”

Great I can hardly contain my excitement...The kids will love it though.

I don't know if it's because i'm 1) married 2) socially akward 3) old 4) not "hip" or 5) against change but I really hate the idea of a "Share" button. I mean, I think it's cool to share info, like I can currently on the Vita, but I think it'll be silly if I'll be allowed to post "race times" or "crafted potions" with the share button on Facebook. Maybe its for a PS4 exclusive new social-media engine? If that is the case, It's just one more thing that can either 1)go down 2) cost money or 3) will be obsolete. Especially if it's anything like Home.

Kojima-san's outlook on next-generation formats reminds me of Shinji Mikami; both are more interested in taking gameplay experiences to another level, rather than gawping at the new visuals.

Like the rest of us, i'm looking forward to seeing what he does with PS4, maybe a cross-gen release for Ground Zeroes to kick things off?

That's not what he's saying at all. He's saying that visual fidelity is a given, so he doesn't really need to worry about "improving it" in the same sense that he wants to improve on the social aspects.

I totally can't wait for Metal Gear Ground Zeroes. It's not for PS3/360 right? There's no way, atleast 360, can handle visual quality like that. Cell processor might be able to handle it, but since it was played on PC, I'm 99% sure it's not optimized for Cell.

As far as I know, the only difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 is how much data Blu-ray and DVD-9 can store.

Thanks to Kwes for the signature!
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I don't know if it's because i'm 1) married 2) socially akward 3) old 4) not "hip" or 5) against change but I really hate the idea of a "Share" button. I mean, I think it's cool to share info, like I can currently on the Vita, but I think it'll be silly if I'll be allowed to post "race times" or "crafted potions" with the share button on Facebook. Maybe its for a PS4 exclusive new social-media engine? If that is the case, It's just one more thing that can either 1)go down 2) cost money or 3) will be obsolete. Especially if it's anything like Home.

i like the share button and also being able to sync with facebook and adding friends who also have a ps4/psn will be great! when i beat a friend in madden ill share the last clip or the score on facebook for laughs or putting a link of my stream on my page for them to follow

Don't own a tablet, don't have a smart phone, don't really care. This integration into mobile devices to me seems like a giant waste of money and investment. Why would I need a game to connect to a mobile device in the first place? If it's not mandatory for gameplay then what is the point?

Don't own a tablet, don't have a smart phone, don't really care. This integration into mobile devices to me seems like a giant waste of money and investment. Why would I need a game to connect to a mobile device in the first place? If it's not mandatory for gameplay then what is the point?